


Triple Threat

by Alkalyne



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Gen, Shop keepers galore, everybody loves minor practically nonexistent characters, i did not finish it on time, i got bored okay, it's the tiny details that stand out to me, oh also tragedy awaits, was for the bang event
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-04
Updated: 2014-01-21
Packaged: 2018-01-07 09:19:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1118187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alkalyne/pseuds/Alkalyne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five years since Shibuya was nearly lost, life is still normal for the unawares...except for one shopkeeper, whose life has been uprooted by tragedy. Feeling helpless, the lone brother, Shinta, readies himself for his now colorless life. But it all comes to a screeching halt when a strange, gray haired man making outrageous claims suddenly appears in his shop. Said man demands Shinta's cooperation. If Shinta obliges, he will be given whatever he wants--riches, fame, lost loved ones...all it requires is becoming his partner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day: 1.0

**Author's Note:**

> So this was for the huge TWEWY event on tumblr that I failed to finish for. Long, lengthy explanation mostly cut short: The throw-away thought on how the Iwata brothers were all freaks was a bit of a "Wait what" that my brain latched onto. It's basically an idea I grew fond of using people who are kinda just there in the game for the sake of streamlining said idea. I've done my best to research the nuances of Japanese culture, but having not lived in the country, it wouldn't be surprising if I messed up. Hopefully I didn't frack it up too badly. 
> 
> ...Also the shop-keeps who show up consist of the jerk who wouldn't give you the spark plug, the music salesman with bushy hair and glasses, the young dude at the 4-story store aaand the super pale skater shop-keep.
> 
> That aside, hope ya'll enjoy!

Shinta took another drag from his cigarette.

"Dude," Kyo made a face. "I thought you quit."

He glanced, moving only his eyes. "And I thought you learned to knock."

The skater glared into the ground and shifted uncomfortably. "I did. You didn't respond. I got worried."

Shinta snorted--smoke shot out of his nose. He kicked the chair across from him.

Kyo took his cue and flopped down. He stared at his friend. "You look like you've been up all night."

Shinta looked up at the sky. He liked his break "room." Surrounded by outer walls on all four sides, save for the door that led back to his shop. It was a nice, accidental bit of space created and it was Shinta's.

"Hey." Kyo raised his voice. "Shinta, you there?"

"I heard you." Shinta looked at the young man. "And, yes, as a matter of fact, I was up all night." He took another puff of smoke.

Kyo winced. "I...yah, I guess you would have been. Sorry," he mumbled.

Shinta turned his head to exhale away from him. He looked back at Kyo. "I'm not offended." He squished the cigarette on the ashtray. "Just a little off is all."

Kyo gave him a doubtful look. "You wanna talk about it?" He was slouching in his seat, one foot on the table leg.

Shinta shrugged. "What more is there to say?" He looked back at the sky. "Mother sent Father to pick up their bodies and watch over them until burial. I am to return home forty-eight days from now for nine days for some kinda vigil." His gaze drifted to Kyo's chain lanyard. "Well guess that's something worth talking about--you oughtta know when I'll be out of town."

"...Why nine days?"

Shinta thought about starting another cigarette. "Father's always liked Norse and Jewish mythology. He only takes bits of it, though, and this is the first time in a while we've had a blood funeral." There were implications Shinta didn't feel like elaborating on, such as how much of a wreck the old man was.

Kyo's face revealed nothing, but Shinta knew what he was thinking--he was going to be up all night reading up on the Norse and Jewish folk now. That was one of the things he always liked about Kyo. He came off as utterly uninterested but was quite the opposite once he warmed up to you. Attempting to be a walking encyclopedia on whatever impacted your life was one way he showed affection.

The other was often just sitting there and keeping you company.

"Your family's always been strange." Kyo said.

For normal people, that was an insult.

For Shinta, it was a compliment and the truth. "Thanks," he said.

Kyo didn't smile. "So what's a blood funeral?"

"When somebody with the Iwata blood dies. In this case..."

Kyo nodded. He understood. "Is Norse reserved for that?"

Shinta shook his head. "No. But me being there for nine days is. If it was for a love funeral, I wouldn't have to."

"A...love funeral?" Kyo was still able to keep his poker face, but the confusion and discomfort was evident in his voice.

Normally Shinta would have smirked, amused by the squirming of the other person. But he wasn't in the mood and he liked Kyo. "Somebody who may as well be part of the Iwata family but isn't. People Mother, Father, myself or others care deeply for." He stared at the door. "We had a couple of those a few years ago for some of Yoji's friends. He had to stay for the nine days, though. He brought them into the family, after all."

Silence.

Kyo switched feet on the table legs.

Shinta started up another cigarette.

"I could get coffee if you want," Kyo straightened up. "Wild Kat's been open without incident for a while now."

Coffee sounded good.

"How would you like it today?"

"Black with some cinnamon and vanilla. Extra hot."

Kyo nodded. "Coming up. I'll back in a bit."

"Thanks, Kyo."

"No problem."

Shinta watched him leave through the curls of smoke. If Kyo was out and about at this hour, it was later in the day than he thought.

Or he saw Shinta's loss as something big enough to close business for the day. It was likely the latter. Kyo’s shop, The Wild Boar, was all the way in Udagawa Back Streets. 

The thought was both surprising and...something else. Shinta wasn't sure how he'd have categorized it. Typically he could figure out what was going on his own head. But Shinta had to remind himself this was not a typical day, nor was tomorrow going to be or the next.

He sighed and looked up at the sky again. Without looking where it was going, Shinta extinguished the cigarette. Now the only hint of the passage of time was a lone little cloud inching by. Not liking that, Shinta's attention was on the chair Kyo had been sitting in. Wincing, Shinta stretched his legs onto the table. He was still sore from maintaining almost the exact same position all night. The only thing that made him switch it up a bit was to avoid deep vein thrombosis and make his parents prepare yet another casket.

It was the little things that most people didn't think about that occupied his head. Most of which he had learned from Shigemori over the years. 

That wasn't going to happen any more. Shinta pretended he had come to terms with that.

He wondered if enough time had passed for Kyo to be on his way back with the coffee. It was an idle thought, not one of impatience or loneliness. At least Shinta could also pretend that was the case--

"Auch!" Shinta clenched his teeth, pain erupting at the base of his skull.

There was a loud crashing noise from inside his shop.

He staggered out of the chair. Kyo was epileptic. And if this was the right time for him to be coming back...

Shinta didn't need any more tragedies.

He half-fell into the door, pushing it open.

The first thing he noticed was the smell of ozone. The second thing he noticed was the groaning figure on the floor with singed clothing. To Shinta's relief, he was way too tan to be Kyo.

So who the hell was this guy?

"Hey, mister," Shinta leaned against the wall as he got closer.

The stranger groaned--or possibly growled.

Shinta froze. He didn't want to get too close. The guy didn't look armed, but something about him just oozed danger. ...That something setting aside the sudden and possibly violent arrival in the back of Shinta's store. “You all right, man?”

Said man stirred. He pushed himself up, his gloved arm shaking from the strain.

Shinta barely hid his surprise--he had gold eyes.

The man looked around, possibly unaware of Shinta's presence.

"What the hell?!" Kyo was standing in the opposite doorway, a tray with three coffees still in hand. He made a move to step forward, but Shinta held up a hand. He stopped mid-step.

"Can you hear me?"

The stranger groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yah, I can hear you yoctograms."

Shinta wasn't sure how to feel about that insult. He wavered between seeing it as clever and lacking.

"...Sh--er, what happened?" Kyo asked, looking between Shinta and the man.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Shinta replied. He squatted down and sniffed. The man didn't smell of alcohol or anything pungent. Even if he had, there was nothing on him that indicated what the source of the ozone odor was. "How did you get into my store? Only me 'n my friend have the key here."

The man looked around. He looked at Shinta. "...What's the date?" His voice was raspy.

Shinta and Kyo exchanged looks. "September 28th of two thousand and thirteen. ...Why?"

The man turned to Kyo and painfully craned his neck. "Move. I wanna see the window."

"You won't see it through all his stuff." But Kyo stepped aside anyway.

"Damn," the man muttered. He looked back at Shinta. His eyes were glassy. "Is there a state of emergency? Last I heard, somewhere in Europe got nuked."

Shinta's eyebrows knitted together. "No."

The man smiled. There was something off about it. He also looked ready to pass out. "So this is a good one."

Shinta and Kyo exchanged glances again. His friend was inching towards the phone, but Shinta held up his hand. The skater gave him a confused look.

"We're gonna call you up a doctor. Is that all right?"

Kyo's confusion deepened.

The man's smile twisted into something less joyful and almost sardonic. He opened his mouth but quickly clamped it shut with his hand.

Shinta grabbed the trash can near him and shoved it into the man's hands.

"When you're done, mind telling us your name?"

He did his best to hide the disgust in his voice--he had heard of the term "black bile" before but never thought of it as something literal. What looked like tar was pouring forth from his guest.

"Sho," the man mumbled, wiping his mouth. He set the trashcan down.

"Just Sho?" Shinta kept his face even. Whatever he vomited up smelled like decay. This guy definitely needed a doctor.

"Until I think you're smart enough to handle more, yah."

Shinta's eyebrows twitched. "So, Sho, we'll be calling you a doctor--"

"Won't help." Sho said flatly. He then smirked. "Trust me."

"Something tells me that's the last thing I should be doing."

Sho's smirk widened. "I like you. You got anything to drink?"

"Just coffee. Do you like cinnamon and vanilla?"

"Actually," Kyo grabbed the third, taller coffee. "Nobody picked it up. I got it on the house. It's caramel flavored."

Sho seemed to perk up at that. "I'll take that." At least Shinta was pretty sure it was a "perk up." The man still looked ready to fall over and not get back up.

Kyo was looking at Shinta for approval.

Shinta gave a quick nod.

Kyo handed Sho the coffee. His jaw was clenched and right foot was shaking. It wasn’t an epileptic shake, but a nervous one. This Sho guy was freaking out Kyo, which was making Shinta dislike him more by the minute.

"Thanks," Sho said after taking his first sip.

For some reason that surprised Shinta. "Sho," he began. "If a doctor won't help you, who will?"

The strange man looked him dead in the eye. "You will. Lemme see..."

Before Shinta could react, Sho grabbed him the collars of his turtleneck and jacket and yanked him forward. His knees painfully hit the concrete floor.

"Don't," Shinta said.

"Don't what?" Sho asked. His grip was surprisingly strong. It occurred to Shinta he may have been feigning weakness.

Shinta glared at him. "I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to my friend, who is about to dump scalding coffee on you."

Sho was still grinning--he had noticeable canines. He twisted his head to look at Kyo. "I like your spirit, but I like this guy more."

Shinta tensed.

"It looks like you don't scream or make sudden movements." Sho let go. "So you'll be the one to help me."

"Who said I'd agree?" Shinta asked, straightening out his jacket and shirt.

"You haven't heard my offer or demands yet."

Kyo still hadn't set the coffee down.

"I might be listening." Shinta replied, keeping half his focus on Sho, the other on Kyo.

"Then you might know where I could find me a Mr. Hanekoma?"

~+~+~

His head was pounding--there was too much noise. Shigemori steadied himself, eyes still shut. It was such a familiar clash he was hearing. He cracked open his eyes, letting the light in slowly. 

The first thing he noticed was he was in the middle of Shibuya square.

The second thing Shigemori noticed was that he was breathing and alive.

Yet nobody was walking into him or paying any attention to him.

Shigemori’s head snapped around, desperately searching for a familiar face. His frantic eyes landed on a dazed Yoji.

He rushed over, calling out his brother’s name, but his voice was lost in the crowd. Yoji looked as bad as Shigemori felt. There were bags under his eyes and he didn’t seem to be registering his surroundings.

_“Yoji!”_ Shigemori said again, skidding to a halt.

Yoji blinked a few times. He squinted at Shigemori and readjusted his glasses. “Shigemori?” He said. 

_“Can you hear me?”_

Yoji’s eyes widened in horror. He grabbed Shigemori by the shoulders. “Are we in a crowd? Are they making noise?”

Shigemori’s eyebrows knitted together. _“Yes, of course,”_ he said, nodding. But something wasn’t right. The loss of color in Yoji’s face confirmed that. To be specific, that something didn’t feel right.

“I can hear,” he said after a moment, relieved, as if Shigemori had said nothing. “Okay. Good. Shigemori, you can hear too?”

He was growing irritated. _“Yes, Yoji, there is a crowd and it’s noisy. ”_

Yoji was still holding onto his shoulders. He increased his grip. Shigemori winced. “Can you hear you, though?” He didn’t break eye contact.

Shigemori’s heart began to race. _“I--”_

No sound. No vibration in his throat. Nothing.

He could feel himself growing faint. This had to be a mistake. His knees were beginning to shake and his vision clouding.

“Hey, I know nobody can see us but you have to pull yourself together.” Yoji said. “That must have been your entry fee--you’re voice. You know what that means right?”

Shigemori blinked back the tears. Right. He could...sort of remember it now. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. The headache was starting to fade, but it was still there. Both sensations were making thinking difficult.

But he could remember a voice stating it had collected their entry fees. They were now in a game and could win another shot at life.

So it would seem his entry fee was his voice.

“Color’s coming back. Does this mean you’ve processed what’s happening?”

Shigemori held his right hand down and waved it. The bracelets he wore clacked and chinked against each other.

Yoji clapped him on the shoulders. “Good! So you know this means after a week you’ll get it back, right?”

Shigemori opened his mouth but promptly closed it. He nodded instead.

“And then that means we’ll be back with Shinta!”

He grinned. Shigemori was still terrified and wanted nothing more than to hide, but the thought of seeing Shinta again was comforting.

Yoji’s own smile soon faded. “Just...uh. Hn. Does your head feel stuffed up too?”

Again, Shigemori nodded, remembering to keep his mouth closed this time. 

Both of their phones chirped.

Shigemori dug into his pockets for his phone. The little charm Shinta had hunted down for him was still there. The relief he felt died within an instant of opening his phone.

“Mission: Defeat four noise. Time: Two hours. Failure will result in erasure. Purpose: To learn the basics. Notes: No free time.” Yoji read the statement aloud. He rose a brow. “The hell?--AUCH!”

Shigemori let out a soundless scream. He clutched his left hand at the wrist; searing pain raced throughout the hand and veins. Slowly, he managed to pry his fingers open.

A timer with a blood-red glow was presented to him. As the seconds ticked down, there was a faint tickling. He could feel his knees grow weak again. This was impossible.

But here he was, a dead man, standing here with his dead brother. Really, anything was possible now.

“We both got one,” Yoji said, looking over at Shigemori’s hand. “Think this means we’re partners?”

Shigemori looked up at him and shrugged. He wanted to tell Yoji he was as lost as him. He looked at the text on his phone--it was the same one. He reread it. Four noise? There were no decibels afterwards. If they meant “four noise” in some other way, whoever was sending out the messages clearly needed more lessons in Japanese. Maybe they were trying to say defeat four noisy people? But he couldn’t see how that was doable--nobody was paying any mind to them--  
Yoji tackled him.

“LOOK OUT!”

~+~+~

“So,” Sho said again. “You’re telling me that Russia is not at war with anybody?”

Shinta sighed. “Yes.”

The man looked at Kyo. “And the Eiffel Tower’s still standing?”

Kyo just nodded.

“Hn.” Sho readjusted his hat. “Well damn. I really got it good here.”

Shinta looked at his watch. It was going to get dark soon. “Did you want to get to Wild Kat or not? We can walk and talk.”

“Hey, can’t a guy enjoy peace for once?” Sho turned his head to look at them. He was somehow able to avoid walking into anybody. “I never thought I’d actually be happy to see living people.” He tugged at his hat. “And you two could’ve tricked me about the walk and talk thing.”

Shinta looked at Kyo. The man put a finger to his temple and twirled it. Shinta looked back at Sho. “So you’re...what? An asocial artist?”

The man grinned. “Hey...I just might upgrade you to a zeptogram, maybe even an atto!” He put a fist on his hip. “You’re pretty observant.”

“I’ll file that away as a possible complement.” Shinta said. “Now...can you please walk faster?”

“Aye-aye, big-brother.”

Shinta bristled.

“What? You talk like one. You’re the eldest, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Kyo lied before Shinta could respond.

“I was asking him, not you.” Sho looked back at Shinta. “But anyway, yah, sure. There’s nothing toxic in the air. Even if there was,” he snorted, “I’d be safe. But I rather not lose you two so soon.”

“The concern is appreciated,” Shinta said dryly. 

“I’ll walk next to him now,” Kyo whispered.

“You don’t have to do that. ...Why, anyway?” Shinta glanced at Sho. He seemed too busy admiring the clouds to hear them.

“Between the two of us, which one is willing to use force if he does something nutso?”

Shinta frowned but stepped aside. Kyo dutifully took his place between the two.

“So...Sho,” began Shinta.

“Shinta?”

“Do you mind telling us just where the hell all these statements are coming from?”

Sho smirked. “Wouldn’t believe me if I told ya. And even then, I don’t even know if you two could comprehend it.”

“Try us.” Shinta demanded.

Sho still had a cocky look to him, but something in his eyes changed. “Where I come from, I’m dead. Died a long time ago.”

Shinta had heard stranger and believed in weirder. “So you’re from an afterlife?”

“Sorta.” Sho tugged his hat further down. Shinta took note of the glance at the man in a red hoodie, who passed by them. “Hm. Look, it’ll be better if Hanekoma tells you all this.”

They entered Cat Street. “What, is he dead like you? He seemed pretty alive to me an hour ago,” Kyo said.

Sho shook his head. “You’re so zetta slow.”

Kyo’s jaw tightened but he said nothing.

Shinta bristled again. He stopped walking. “Let’s just go.” He turned. “I don’t have the patience to deal with an asshole like this.”

“What?” Sho whirled around. “You’re just gonna leave a dazed, confused and possibly dangerous guy here?”

Shinta shrugged. “I got others things to worry about.”

“Oh, you mean like burying your brothers?”

Shinta’s stomach dropped. The color drained from his face. Slowly, he turned around again, facing Sho. “None of us told you that,” he said coldly. The cliched question of “how” was bubbling for his mouth, but Sho was already responding, still walking.

Sho gave him an innocent look. “I’m dead. I know when people die, I know when people have been close to the dead. You have two little brothers who were murdered in a mugging gone horribly wrong way early yesterday morning.” He stopped walking and looked at Shinta. He tugged at his hat. “They were walking back from a store with ingredients to make you a surprise birthday breakfast. If you wanna walk your lazy ass the next fifty yards over to the coffee shop, I might even tell you how to get them back.”

Shinta felt a great disconnect between his feet and his brain. The brain said to ignore Sho--his feet thought otherwise.

Kyo agreed with his brain. “Dude, the guy’s psycho,” he hissed, grabbing Shinta before he got too far. “What we need to do is call the proper authorities before you get yourself killed.”

Shinta kept walking, Kyo now awkwardly holding his arm. “Something about this guy is different.”

“Yah--the fact that he’s lacking in everything sane.”

“No. You know my headaches?”

Kyo’s eyes widened. “Don’t--you can’t be serious.”

“I got one when he showed up.” Shinta stopped, keeping a good few feet between him and Sho. “You’ll tell me more when we’re in the cafe?”

“You got it.”

Sho twirled on the heels of his feet, returning his walk to the Wild Kat.

“Shinta, please,” Kyo began. “You’ve gotten better. You should know by now your headaches spell bad news!”

“Or something extreme,” Shinta whispered. “Now let go before people get the wrong idea.”

Kyo reluctantly released his arm.

Sho was standing just out of the cafe--nobody inside would be able to see him. “It, uh, might be better if you two walk in first.”

“After you,” Kyo growled.

Sho looped an arm with Shinta. “Then me ‘n him together and you last.”

Shinta glared. “Don’t. Touch. Me.”

Sho readjusted his arm so it wasn’t touching Shinta in anyway. “Better?”

Kyo cracked his knuckles.

“Just get in,” Shinta unlaced his arm and nodded to the door.

“Hectopascals,” Sho muttered darkly but walked in anyway.

The store was, as usual, rather empty. Mr. Hanekoma was leaning against the counter, reading a book. It looked new. Shinta realized it was the latest from Sakuraba. 

Hanekoma looked up. “How can I hel...”

He stared at Sho. It was a peculiar expression, noted Shinta. His mouth was only slightly open and his glasses hid half of his eyes. But it all seemed forced--like he was only pretending to be surprised instead of reacting another way.

“Heya, Mister H!” Sho grabbed at a stool and sat down. “I was wondering, could you help me with something?” He laced his fingers together and rested them under his chin.

Hanekoma forced a strange smile. “Sure thing, Sho.” He looked to Shinta and Kyo. “Oh, hello again, Kyo. How are you?”

Kyo mumbled something that sounded like a “fine.”

“Shinta? I’m sorry about what happened.”

Shinta’s lips thinned. “I...appreciate it, Mr. Hanekoma.”

“I’d like to give you proper condolences, but right now the store’s closed.”

Kyo jabbed his thumb at the entrance. “Sign says otherwise and door’s unlocked.”

Hanekoma’s odd smile widened. “I forgot to flip it and lock them.”

“I asked them to bring me here, Mister H. Shinta here said he might work with me if I bring his brothers back.”

“You told them?” The man kept his voice even.

“Eh, pieces. Said they’d believe you if you told them. But that’s not why I’m really here. I’m really here cuz I’m not this world’s Sho. And, obviously, the me here did something to piss you off.” He shook his head. “Look, I can’t tell you how different he and I are, but I at least know not to piss of Angels.”

Hanekoma put his book down. “Kyo, turn the sign and lock the doors.”  
Kyo did as asked.

“Now you two, take a seat.”

Kyo dove for the one next to Sho before Shinta could take it.

Hanekoma looked back at Sho. “Well then. Sho, why are you here?”

Sho straightened up and placed his hands in front of him. “To put it bluntly: Somebody divided by zero. To put it in a more shocking sense for your type: Something is spreading across the worlds, turning frequencies off and shattering them.”

~+~+~

Yoji had his hands on his knees and was panting. “You all right, Shigemori?”

His little brother didn’t look too good but nodded. His shirt had a tear that would need mending and there was some blood seeping through it. 

“I’m gonna trust you on that,” Yoji walked over to him. “Damn that was...rough.” There had been at least three waves of...whatever they were.

Shigemori nodded again. He stayed close.

The hairs on the back of Yoji’s neck prickled up. Somebody was watching them.

Shigemori gave him a questioning look.

“I’m looking around cuz somebody can see us.”

The other Iwata looked at him surprised.

Yoji nodded. “Yup. I think...” he scanned the crowd. 

There he was. A man in a red hoodie standing by the entrance to 10-4.

Yoji made his way, dragging Shigemori along with him. “Hey. You. Who are you?”

“Defeat one more noise to complete the objective.”

“So you’re the one who sent us the text?”

He said nothing.

“Hn.” Yoji looked at Shigemori. “Are you up for one more round?” The little brother clearly wasn’t. “We have well over an hour. It’s okay if you wanna rest up for a few minutes.”

Shigemori glared and shook his head.

“If you sa--er, think so.” Yoji looked around. “They found us. But...after that light show...man that was weird. I don’t see them.” He whistled. “That had been a lot.”

Shigemori was looking at Yoji’s shirt.

“What?”

Shigemori pointed to the pin that had been put there. He then pointed to one that looked exactly like it, but was pinned to his belt.

“Hn. Oh, right. The Player Pins.” They had been given those after their fees had been collected. He curiously tapped it.

Voices of all intensities flew at him. Confusion, happiness, curiosity. Where was that bookstore again? The sequel to that drama show was up tonight. What would happen to that band now that their singer was dead--

So much noise.

He had his hands on his knees again. “That...” Yoji forced himself to take a deep breath. “Okay.” He straightened up. Shigemori had a worried look on his face. “I’m okay.” He put a hand on his shoulder. “I’m okay.” Yoji said again. 

Shigemori didn’t believe him.

“Don’t give me that look. Hey, I saw it. The Noise.” He pointed to the pin his brother wore. “Tap it. ...But be careful.”

Hesitantly, Shigemori tapped at his pin. His eyes widened, but there was a blank expression on his face. He was frozen.

A moment later, he was clutching his head and gasping.

Yoji gave him his space. Once Shigemori recovered, he began to talk. “Okay. So we can...hear people. And there are those...things floating there. Ya think the more of those things we off, the less we’ll hear?”

Shigemori shrugged.

“But those have to be what we gotta kill--they look like the things that attacked us. C’mon, Shigemori, we can do this. You did a good job!”

Shigemori frowned.

“I’ll be there with you. And I’ll be sure to pick us a small one, okay?”

Slowly, Shigemori nodded.

“Excellent!” Yoji slapped the pin on his chest.

There was a small one that looked a lot like the first few. He reached out to it.

Yoji felt something electric run through him and heard static. Suddenly he was alone in the streets. But he wasn’t really alone--Shigemori was somewhere “there.” To his left he saw something like a tear in reality appear. Two green frogs crackled into existence.

The man smirked. The fire pin and slashing pins were the only ones that worked. For some reason, he didn’t mind that. 

The creatures launched themselves at him.

He dodged and slashed his hand, flames erupting from the ground.

They didn’t let out any sounds of pain. Yoji wasn’t sure why that was a disappointment, but he fought on. Within seconds they had fragmented away.

There were people and Shigemori was at his side.

“See?” He put an arm around his brother’s shoulders. “Told ya we could do it this time! Man that one went by way faster now that we knew what to do, huh?”

Shigemori pushed his glasses up. He was covered in sweat.

Yoji frowned. He wanted to tell him it was okay, second big brother was here to keep him safe. Instead: “Don’t be so scared.” ...Those words tumbled out.

Shigemori tensed. 

“I, uh...--oh! Look.” Yoji held up his left hand. “See?”

Shigemori looked at his hand. Sure enough, the timers were gone.

“We did it!” He looked at the man with the red hoodie. “Now what?”

“Objective met. Day complete.”

“Huh?” Yoji wanted to ask more. But he couldn’t. All sensation was lost and the world was black.

~+~+~

Shinta dropped his mug.

Hanekoma caught it, not minding the hot coffee that had splashed onto his wrist. “You okay there, Shinta?”

It was a sudden disconnect. But from what, Shinta wasn’t sure.

“I, uh...” he pushed his glasses back up. “Yah. I’m fine.”

Hanekoma gave him a doubtful look. “...Right.” He set the mug down and looked back at Sho. “Continue, then.”

“Gladly!” Sho carefully set his mug of hot chocolate down. “The Shibuya I came from was already a rough world.” He fiddled with his hat, which he had taken off. “We had a decent flow of people every week for a while--people forgetting about the curfews and what not.” His face hardened. “But suddenly they were just dropping and we were getting overwhelmed. Turns out all other sectors were too. We got some emergency orders, much like the living folk did.”

“And you fled to here to escape all the pressure?”

Sho let out a snort. “Don’t insult me. No. Our world was toast. Something about the way people were dying--we didn’t realize what was going on before it was too late. Not only that it...” He shifted uncomfortably.

Hanekoma tilted his head down, getting a better look at Sho. “Go on.”

“It all felt orchestrated. So I decided to investigate. I’m a high ranking guy, so it was easy to just off the players as I ran by.”

“Direct confrontation is allowed over there?”

“No.” Sho shook his head. “I...may have accidentally released stronger Noise.”

He sounded somewhat apologetic, Shinta realized.

“I’m here because I was chasing somebody. The you over there helped me do some real forbidden stuff to set up a portal.”

“Did I now?” Hanekoma rose a brow. “Well then this must be serious.” The way he said that made it sound more like a joke.

Sho suddenly turned to Shinta. “I need a partner, though, to continue this.”

“Whoa, now, the rules here are different. First off, in order for him to be your partner, he has to be dead. Second, Reapers can’t have Player partners. Third, he’d be too busy trying to come back to life if he agreed.”

Sho looked at Hanekoma. “Then get a hold of the Composer so we can alter it. We can talk more later, I know you’re dying to find out how I know about Angels. Am I right?”

The owner of Wild Kat stared Sho down. “And what makes you think he’ll be interested?”

“Because we have to enact the Zenith Protocol.”

Hanekoma stared. “...Give me a moment.” He turned and walked to the back of the store.

Sho looked back to Shinta. “If you agree to be my partner, I’ll give you whatever you want. Just name it. But I think I already know what you want.”

“Can you do that?” Shinta was looking Sho straight in the eye. This guy was different--he didn’t feel threatened by the action. “You said there was a way.” He could feel his heart pounding. Was there really a way to bring them back?

“Shinta, what are you doing?!” Kyo grabbed his shoulders. “Don’t agree to whatever the hell it is he might promise you!”

Shinta ignored him. “Well?”

Sho started to laugh. “Man, you really don’t want the boring stuff like fame, do ya? You want the sappy cliched stuff. That shit’s almost impossible, you know. Fame’s easier!”

“It looks like you’re an impossibility in your own right. I won’t agree unless you can do it.”

Sho held out his hand. “It’s a deal, then. If he can get the Composer to call for the Zenith Protocol, then I think I can do anything. I’ll bring those boys back to you!”

Shinta took the hand and shook it. It felt cold.

Hanekoma emerged from the back. “I can’t be held responsible for anything else that happens.” He said this, looking at Sho.

There was another person. Shinta hadn’t felt it at first, but now he could--something powerful was behind those curtains.

“My, my,” said a haughty voice. “Look at what the cat dragged in.”


	2. 1.2-->2.1

A young man with light but dirty gray hair stood in the doorway. He looked to be in his early twenties and had a pink button up shirt, which had the first two buttons undone. His bellbottom jeans appeared to have custom embroidery done up and down the sides.

Sho snorted. “So you’re the composer? You look a bit...lack-luster.”

The man giggled. “We have guests. I didn’t want to scare them.” He entered the main area and stopped behind counter. His smile fell and his expression grew serious. “Mr. H here says you want me to enact the Zenith Protocol?”

Sho nodded.

“Why? I know you’re telling the truth, that you aren’t from here--your vibe is different.” He gave Sho a cold smile. “You do realize the you from here tried to kill me multiple times, right?” He looked at Shinta and Kyo. “By the way, you can call me Joshua.” The tone didn’t hide he tacked that on as some simple after-thought.

“What?” Sho seemed genuinely surprised by that.

“Mmhmm,” the entity claiming to be the Composer nodded. “You wanted my job.”

“Really?” Sho made a face. “I might be creative enough for it, but no thanks. In my world that job is too much damn work.” He let out a dark chuckle. “We have a fairly high body count over there. Always have. It just got way worse when...whatever the hell it was started happening. Didn’t help that World War Three freakin’ broke out.” He ran a hand through his hair, pushing the bandana back. “Man...that aint no environment for art. You’d be amazed at how many people actually gave up halfway through.”

“Oh? Yours is a warlike world?”

Sho nodded.  
Shinta took a look at Kyo. He wasn’t looking too good. Shinta tapped him on the knee. _“You all right?”_ he mouthed.

Kyo grimaced but nodded. He then gave another one, directed at Joshua.

Shinta returned his attention to the Composer.

“So why should I call for the Zenith because World War Three happened?”

Sho stiffened. “That was an unfortunate turn of events that made the situation worse.” He paused. “In fact, I think it was actually pushed along by whatever it was that made my place fall apart.”

“Explain this falling apart.” Joshua looked bored and almost sounded like it too. But there was a level of focus under his lofty tone.

A thin layer of sweat had formed on Sho’s forehead. He tugged at his collar. “Frequencies homogenizing and getting turned off. People’s opinions getting swayed. An increase in Noise--taboo noise especially. The noise spilled into the Realground. Like _actually_ existed and started offing people.” He made a face. “No, I take that back. There was no Realground by then. Both the UG and RG were fused.”

Shinta felt his heart rate increase. He had barely heard confirmation about any of this until today, yet there was a terror swelling in him. There was a familiarity to everything they were saying, but the words were different and wrong. He looked at Kyo again--he was clinging to every word. His eyes were back to Joshua. The entity was processing this. Nothing about him seemed worried. Hanekoma himself looked calm, but there was a definite edge to him.

Seeing that the Composer wasn’t saying anything, Sho continued. “When things were getting real bad, I started to investigate. I followed a trail of Taboo Noise refineries and found what looked like the remains of a portal. The Hanekoma over there helped me reopen it and I dove in, chasing whoever it was that was responsible for this.”

Joshua crossed his arms again. “Hmm...how long ago did this happen--for you I mean?”

“If I had a watch...” he readjusted one his bracelets. “I’d say maybe three hours tops. Spent a couple here already.”

“Did you feel your world collapsing behind you?”

Sho shook his head. “We felt some others, though, back home. It was after the third one things really went south. World war broke out. When the fourth one collapsed, that’s when the UG and RG started to fuse. At first people saw us. Then they could see the Noise but not be affected by it any more than usual. We were told to continue on as usual.”

Joshua snorted. “So you had some idiot Angels who didn’t think to call for Zenith.”

“Apparently.”

“Which leads to my next question, little Sho--how did you find out about this?”

Shinta looked at Sho to see how he’d react. Both men were insufferably cocky, it seemed. Yet in this situation both seemed willing to set that aside. 

“Breaking rules, of course.” Sho ran a hand through his hair again. “I’ve always been snooping around where I shouldn’t. Found hidden messages scrawled in plain sight that mentioned Angels. Took a bit of work to find them, but once I did, it was pretty easy to start learning about all that other stuff.”

Joshua shot Hanekoma a look, who coughed and pretended his sunglasses needed cleaning.

“So you know about the Angels and I didn’t erase you?”

Sho shrugged. “Guess not? You may have been distracted. I’ll admit, I only know some of what the Zenith does--Hanekoma, before he opened the portal for me, told me a bit about it. It’s like a big change in the game. Make the dead work for the living.”

“That makes much more sense-- _most_ Angels aren’t careless enough to leave sensitive information like that lying around.” He gave a playful smile to Hanekoma. “But why didn’t you wind up wherever the person who was making the Taboo Noise did?”

“The portal was still a bit busted. I felt a massive tug of just...something. It was a different vibe, so I went for it and wound up in that guy’s shop over there.” He jerked his head to Shinta.

Joshua’s gray eyes were on him. “So you’re the one who’s giving off that vibe.” He reached out and put his hand under Shinta’s chin, tilting his head this way and that.

Shinta did not appreciate being touched by this stranger, even if he was some sort of demi-god. “I’d like it if you’d let me go.”

“I can see why Sho wants you to be his partner.” Joshua retracted his hand. He looked back at the Reaper known as Sho. “I can’t let you be his partner though.”

“What?” It was Shinta who reacted first.

Joshua shrugged. “Whatever he promised you, I’m sorry, but I can’t allow it.” He let his hands fall to his sides. “Not yet at least. I have to talk to the Angels here about this.” Joshua turned back to Sho. “You wanted a partner for more than one reason, didn’t you?”

Sho looked down. He was starting to shake.

“I’ll pass on what you told me. If you survive the night, then you may take whoever you want as your partner. But if the Angels say no, you’re erasure will be expedited.”  
Sho jumped to his feet, knocking the stool down. “Are you crazy? I’m the only one here who can tell you exactly what’s happening! If you let me get erased, then you’re dooming this world!”

Shinta stared--that stool had been bolted to the ground.

Joshua shrugged. “And for all I know this is all an elaborate lie for you to try and kill me again. I wouldn’t be too surprised if our Sho here contacted you as a fail-safe if he died.”

“You can’t punish me because--”

“If I die, then Shibuya will be in worse trouble.”

Sho grabbed Joshua by the unbuttoned lapels of his shirt. “Haven’t you heard a damn  
word I’ve said?!” He was shaking all over now. “The _entire_ RG and UG are in trouble here! It’s not just the different sectors--”

Joshua gripped Sho’s wrists with enough force to make the man yelp. “A friend made this for me. Do not ruin it.” He lessened the pressure. “I’m well aware of what’s at stake here. I’m also well aware of how much of a loose cannon you and all versions of you can be. If you’re honestly that worried about what could happen, start talking to Hanekoma here.” His tone had an odd mixture of authority but concern.

Sho lurched forward, ready to vomit again.

“Judging by how fast you’re deteriorating, you’ll want to do that soon.”

Sho remained in that position for a good few seconds before forcing himself to straighten up. He was breathing heavily, sweat starting to soak the pits of his jacket. “What are you two looking at?!” He snapped at Shinta and Kyo.

“I think it’s time you two headed home,” Hanekoma said, gently putting a hand on Sho’s back. 

“I agree.” Joshua pushed back a chunk of his bangs. “It was a pleasure meeting you two. If it turns out this Sho isn’t here to kill me, you can expect to be his partner, Shinta.”

“Will I get my brothers back?”

Again, that obnoxious shrug.

“Whether or not you do, it’s in yours and theirs best interests to agree to help. Now, run along. Mommy and daddy have important things to discuss.”

Shinta looked at Sho. “And what if he doesn’t make it and wasn’t sent here to kill you?”

“Then you can go back to your life, waiting and hoping for your brothers to return.” Joshua lazily waved his hand. The door that led back to the outside flew open.

Kyo grabbed Shinta’s arm. “We’re going.” He didn’t wait for Shinta to agree or disagree--he simply dragged him out.

It was dark and cool outside. Kyo zipped up his jacket and pulled his baseball cap further down. “Well this was an interesting day.” His breath misted and floated away. He looked like he wanted to say more but couldn’t.

Shinta grunted in agreement. “You can stay at my place, by the way. It’s closer.”

Kyo tilted his head side-to-side for a moment. “...I will.”

“You got your medication on you?

Kyo shot him a glare. “Yes,” he said after some silence.

“Good.”

They didn’t say anything more until they were at Shinta’s apartment. He unlocked it and let Kyo in first.

“I’ll get the spare futon out for you. Help yourself to anything you want or need. You know the drill.”

“Thank you.”

“Not a problem.” Shinta wasn’t looking at him. He couldn’t tell if he didn’t want to be alone or flat out not be in the apartment. Or maybe he actually wanted to be alone and was only letting Kyo stay out of common courtesy. Shinta didn’t know. He was tired. Hearing about the Underground, Realground, Noise...it was overwhelming--and now his brothers could be moving and still thinking?

He shook his head. The man just wanted to pass out. To hell with changing his clothes and even brushing his teeth.

But Kyo was here and needed that futon.

Shinta dragged the thick blanket out of his closet and into the living room. “Forgot to ask--you all right with sleeping in here tonight?”

Kyo shrugged. “Sure. Wherever you’d like. I know you want your space.”

Shinta simply set everything up for him. “I’m gonna go pass out now. Don’t worry about putting this away when ya head out to work tomorrow.”

Kyo just nodded.

“Night, man.” Shinta gave him an exhausted wave and dragged himself to his room.

To Shinta’s relief, he was asleep the moment he was in his bed.

DAY 2

Shigemori let out a muted groan. He was stiff, tired and it was bright out. Yoji was also groaning and grumbling just a few feet away from him. He sighed in relief and turned to face his brother. 

“Mornin’, lil bro.” Yoji said around a yawn. “Another day in heaven, eh?”

Shigemori shrugged. He fished for his phone from his pocket. No sign of a text message. Looking up, he could see Yoji was doing the same.

“Nothin’ yet.” Yoji mumbled. 

Shigemori nodded. Though he was stiff and his joints cracked as he stretched, he felt better. Whatever injuries he sustained from yesterday had cleared. He checked his arms and legs...they were all fine. 

But when he took a look down his shirt, the color drained from his face.

There were three hideous, sickly red marks across his torso and chest.

“What is it?” Yoji tugged at Shigemori’s shirt and peered down himself. “...Oh.” He pulled back his shirt and vest. Shigmori could only guess Yoji saw at least five marks. “Right.” The man let go. He too had gone pale. “No more of that now, right?”

But Shigemori didn’t hear him. He was already back in the streets, the sun barely rising. He was carrying a bag with produce and Yoji the one with the beans, eggs and other foods. Their plan was to surprise Shinta with a British-styled breakfast. It was their little tradition--he and Yoji would randomly pick a country and that would be the theme for the day.

Tomigaya wasn’t much farther away. He was surprised they had been able to get out without Shinta noticing. Shigemori smiled to himself about that--he looked at Yoji, who was like a zombie. He was barely awake and was dragging his feet, leaning forward. Shigemori gently nudged him with his elbow. “Wake up. We still gotta make breakfast.”

“Can British breakfasts include coffee? Can we throw that in?” Yoji whined.

The two hadn’t noticed the three men following them. Maybe if they had, they’d still be alive. Or maybe they’d have died with more fear in their heads.

“Hey,” said a husky voice. “Whatcha two doing out here?”

Shigemori felt a chill go down his spine. He reflexively reached for Yoji’s arm.

“What do--” Yoji stopped mid-yawn. “Can we help you?” He asked, wide awake now.

The other two emerged from the alleyway. “Maybe,” said the leader. He was playing with a long, shiny knife. “But you still didn’t answer my question. Whatcha two doing out here?”

Yoji pulled Shigemori behind him. “Heading home and avoiding trouble,” he said carefully. “What are you three doing out here?”

The man tossed the knife and caught it. “I ask the questions here. But I’m feelin’ nice.” He looked Yoji in the eye. “We’re scoutin’ and huntin’.”

“You might be better off in the park--more wildlife. C’mon--” Yoji pushed Shigemori back. “It was nice meeting you three, but we really gotta go.”

Another silent yell.

“Dude, I thought I’d never get you back.” Yoji was flexing his hand. 

Shigemori stared at his hand, watching the numbers tick down. He couldn’t help but feel relief--he was brought out before re-living Yoji’s death.

“I’ll read ya the mission mail, okay?” Yoji still had his phone out. “Mission: Make the rat king. Time: Four hours. Purpose: To understand what you’re capable of. Notes: Pins and/or clothing may be of use.” He shut it. “I have no idea what they mean by “make the rat king.” You got any idea?”

Shigemori looked at his clothes and his pins. None of them had any indicators of damage from rats. Nor were there any rat images on his pins. He looked back at Yoji and shrugged.

“Damn,” Yoji muttered. “Well, we can’t possibly be the only people playing this game. The way those two spoke, it sounded like a good amount came in. ...And damn this’d be too much work for two people, huh?”

Shigemori nodded. He looked around, realizing they weren’t at the Scramble crossing.

“Yah, looks like we got put somewhere else. The Department Store, I think.” He suddenly pointed. “There’s another one of them red hoodie guys. C’mon.”

Shigemori’s eyes widened in horror. He ran after his brother, who was taking unusually long and confident strides.

“Hey.” Yoji stopped in front of the man. “We saw you yesterday.”

“Want past this wall?”

“Huh? What wall?” Yoji looked past him. Nothing. He pushed the man aside and slammed right into a flash of hexagons. “Ow! Fu--”

“Bring me two five hundred yen pins. Noise Number Twelve has them.” The man didn’t seem to mind or notice he had been shoved.

Yoji pulled back his fingers, revealing blood. “Lousy--”

Shigemori pulled him away. They had a task that wasn’t what their mail said. Maybe the other wall was open? But if this man was guarding it, clearly that was the way they had to go. He pulled out his phone again, just to make sure.

“What’s that guy’s problem? What the hell was that?” Yoji growled. People were walking right past the man, as if there was no wall. “It’s gotta be some dead-people catcher or something...”

Shigemori noticed a new icon on his phone. He selected it. A list full of numbers and names popped up. He chose the one that said #12. The image of a nasty looking wolf showed up. He tapped Yoji’s shoulder.

“What?” He snarled.

Shigemori dropped his phone. 

Yoji slackened. He blinked and shook his head. “I...” he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Whoa--shit. Shigemori, I’m so sorry. Here,” he dove down to pick up the phone. “Still works. Your Captain Scarlet keychain’s fine.” Yoji dusted it off and handed it back.

Shigemori shakily accepted his phone. He pointed to the screen.

“Eh?” Yoji leaned over. “...Shigemori, you’re a genius!” He grinned. “So we just gotta fight these things for those pins?” 

Shigemori shrugged. He didn’t see why not, but there was no way for him to convey that. 

“You ready?” Yoji’s hand hovered over the pin.

He stared at his brother. _Yoji...what was your entry fee?_ Hesitantly, Shigemori nodded.

~+~+~+~

Shinta could smell coffee. For a split second, everything was normal. Shigemori was wide awake and readying breakfast for everyone.

But then Shinta remembered his brothers were dead.

With a groan, he crawled out of bed and changed clothes. It was a weird trait of many he had--three pairs of the exact same outfit. Part of him didn’t want to get up. But the other part of him wanted to know if Sho survived the night.

“Morning,” Kyo said as Shinta entered the kitchen. All he had was a cup of coffee.

Shinta grabbed a pear and rubbed it on his slightly wrinkled jacket. “Did you have anything to eat?” He reached for the drawer with the knives, ready to split it with his friend.

Kyo nodded to the counter. “You had three. You’re down to one.”

Shinta glanced down at the lone pear in its bowl. “Is that enough?”

Kyo blinked and his jaw tightened. “Yes,” he said through clenched teeth.

“What about--”

“I take that one after work.” Kyo stood up. “Let’s just go to the cafe, all right?”

Shinta found he wasn’t that hungry. He set down the uneaten fruit. “Speaking of work...”

“Called my assistant manager. Told him I may not be in for a few days--gotta repay a debt.”

Shinta began to put his shoes on as well. “I’d hardly call it that.”

Kyo straightened up. “If I didn’t elaborate, he’d assume it was my condition. If I went any further and said I was helping a friend, he’d rightly guess it’s you and then you’d have to deal with him thinking you’re weak.”

“Hn. I don’t know why you put up with him, then.”

“Because he gets the job done and I can’t control what he thinks.” 

Shinta said nothing as they ventured back to the outside world. It was a cold morning. He pulled the jacket shut and held his hands together. Even at this hour there were people walking around, getting a headstart on their day.

As they passed through the scramble crossing, Shinta felt something. He stopped walking.

Kyo didn’t notice until a few steps later. “Huh? Shinta?”

“They’re here.” 

Kyo was next to him in a second. “What? Who? You mean--”

“Yah.” Shinta looked around, trying to get a look, regardless of that being impossible. “Maybe the way things work here it’s like they’re everywhere? What mission do you think they’re doing?” 

People were starting to give them looks.

Kyo gently tugged at Shinta’s sleeve. “C’mon. You wanna see Mr. Hanekoma, right?”

Shinta blinked and shook his head. “Yah. Right. Okay, let’s go.”

He should have felt excited about seeing Sho again. It meant that he could finally begin his quest to save his brothers. But nothing felt real. This whole thing felt like some grand, orchestrated event in his head. Maybe he was still on the floor at home, after hearing the news, and this was some feverish dream. He could wake up at any given moment, finding half his face imprinted by the carpet and his shirt drenched in tears and snot. 

“Careful, dude.” Kyo guided Shinta onto the overpass. “Nearly walked into a pole, there.”

“Oh. Sorry.” 

“Not a problem.” 

The sign on Wild Kat said “closed” but the door was unlocked.

“I was wondering when you two would show up,” Joshua said. He was leaning against the counter. “Lock the door for us, would you Kyo?”

Kyo stiffly did as he was “asked.”

Shinta looked around. “Where’s Mr. Hanekoma and Sho?”

“In the back.” Joshua lazily turned his head. “Mr. H, they’re here!”

“I heard!” He called back.

A moment later, Hanekoma and Sho emerged from the back.

Sho looked horrible. He was shivering, sweating and his teeth were chattering. The natural tan had lightened, making him look all the more weak.

“Good news--he wasn’t lying.” Chirped Joshua. “We really are in danger.”

Hanekoma helped ease Sho onto a stool. The one that had been knocked over was once again upright as if nothing happened. Shinta looked back at Joshua. “So does that mean you’re calling for the Zenith Protocol?”

“Oh, probably. I still need to convince the idiots upstairs of that. But you can be his partner now, if you’d like.”

Shinta was about to ask what was the point of helping Sho if he couldn’t get his brothers back. But just hearing the poor bastard shaking seemed like reason enough to at least help him out. Even if he had been an asshole the previous day.

“Will he get his brothers back?” Kyo asked.

Joshua sighed. “You’re really hung up on that, aren’t you?” He gave a careless shrug. “If I call for the Zenith, that increases the chances, yes, but they may not have survived their first d--”

“I felt them.” Shinta said. “They didn’t get erased. They’re still here.”

That got the Composer’s attention. “Did you now?”

“Yes.”

He let out his little laugh. “Well then--”

“Can we hurry this up!?” Sho barked. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but the main reason they’re here is to find out if I’m still alive. Well guess what? I am, but barely.” He looked at Shinta. “So you wanna be my partner or what? Even if we can’t save them, I owe my Mr. H back home. I still gotta investigate here. And it’s in your best interest to say yes.” The man bared his teeth, as if out of habit. Whatever intimidation Shinta thought he had to feel was lost on their constant clacking.

“I take it we don’t have too much time to discuss the ramifications of me being his partner?” Shinta asked. 

Joshua nodded.  
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kyo didn’t like that.

It was now that the weight of all this was starting to hit Shinta. He was standing on the edge of something big. What was on the other side, he didn’t know. Would agreeing result in him dying? Then again...if he couldn’t save Yoji and Shigemori, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.

“...All right.”

“Good. Then we can start the Zenith,” Joshua said.

“What?” Kyo stared. “I thought you just said you had to--”

“I’m starting it locally. That should be evidence enough that it’s needed. Even with my spotty history,” he chuckled. “Sho, if you can, please stand. Also, if a certain something happens when these two become partners, that’ll _really_ prove it needs to be called.”

Painfully for him and for others to watch, Sho pushed himself up. He pulled off his glove.

“Hold out your left hand. You too, Shinta. But be a dear and walk over to him at least.”

Slowly, Shinta held out his left hand as he walked over.

“Take each other’s hand.”

Sho’s hand felt colder. There was now a faint vibration going on under his skin, too. His grip was weak and Shinta was sure he was about to break the man’s hand.

“I hereby begin the Zenith Protocol. Iwata Shinta, Minamimoto Sho...you two are where it begins and where it will end.” Joshua held his hand over theirs.

A chill swept through Shinta. Something electric snaked up his arm and around his heart. He couldn’t breathe.

And then Kyo was helping him up. “What did you do?” He demanded.

Joshua took Shinta’s hand, examining it. “Hmm...oh dear. We’re in more trouble than I thought.”

Shinta’s breathing and vision returned. “Huh?”

Joshua pushed back his sleeve. A thick, jagged black line started at the base of his middle finger and wound its way to his elbow. “See this? This tells us how much corruption’s here.”

Sho had paled. “Shit,” he muttered. “I need--”

“--to tell them right away. Mr. H, if you’d explain to Shinta what he just signed up for, I need to show them this.” He turned and patted Sho on the shoulder. “Good job. You chose a good partner.” And with that, he disappeared.

Literally disappeared. One moment there, the next gone.

Shinta found himself sitting, dazed. Kyo standing close and with a hand on his arm. “So, Mr. Hanekoma, what did Shinta just get sign up for?”

The man’s expression was something serious. “Risky stuff, for one. I’m sorry I couldn’t explain any of what I’m about to tell you earlier.”

Already Sho was looking better. “Like it’d matter--if we succeed, worth it. If we fail, we’re the lucky ones.” He was putting his bandana back on.

Mr. Hanekoma handed Shinta a glass of water. “You’re partners now. If one of you dies, so does the other.” He looked at Sho. “You’re gonna be weak. Your Reaper powers don’t work here.”

“I know.” Sho grumbled. He looked at Shinta. “We’re not partners like in the game--we don’t have to constantly be at each other’s side. I’m just using you as an anchor.”

Kyo made a noise.

“That’s...nice of you,” Shinta said, his voice raspier. He downed the glass before talking again. “So, what else does this involve? Was all this needed so the Composer could call for the emergency procedure?”

Hanekoma nodded. “This is one of the ways we know it’s needed. Rarely do people from other worlds crossover. Rarely is anything impossible--its mostly rules and heavy consequences if they’re broken. One rule is to not crossover. Another is you can’t make Pacts with non-Players. If they do, both are toast. But it can happen. Even bigger is people from other places can’t make pacts of any kind--your frequencies just don’t line up. It’s difficult to get them to sync, but it can happen.” He gestured to Shinta’s other hand. “Take a look.”

Shinta looked at his right hand. He pulled back the sleeve. There was an artistic, white skull on the palm of his hand. Its shape was clear and definite, its wing-like frontal bones sharp. 

“Right now, you two are synced up perfectly. The blurrier it gets, the less intune you two are.” He nodded to Sho. “You got the anchor part right--but you gotta keep the connection up. If it gets too blurry, Sho here will disappear and you’re gonna drop like a rock.”

“What?” Sho’s jaw dropped. “You don’t mean--”

“Yup. You two gotta talk. Communicate. Get to know each other.” He wasn’t smiling. “You are right about not having to constantly be with each other--it’d make things easier, but it’s not necessary.” Hanekoma looked back at Shinta. “You’re not a Player, but there’s something about you that makes this work.” Again, he gestured to the left hand. “Have you heard of the canaries in the mines?”

Shinta frowned. “...Where, back in the day, they’d have one fly into a mine? If it died, that meant the place was too dangerous to work in?”

Hanekoma gave him an apologetic smile. “Unfortunately, yes. If that line grows--and it will--it means this place is getting more unstable. If it reaches your heart, then you become the dead canary.”

Kyo’s grip became painful. “What’re Shinta’s chances?”

Hanekoma picked up Shinta’s hand and looked it over. “Worse than we thought.”

Kyo swore.

“Hey, he still has a chance,” Sho said. He was looking at his left hand--it was completely black and so was his arm. His eyes were distant. “...I figured I’d have felt it.”

Shinta looked back at Hanekoma. “What happens next?”

The man started preparing something. “Joshua convinces the other Angels to change things up. He’ll inform his Conductor and her assistant about the changes. The Game Master will be alerted and the way the game is played will change. The Game will last however long this emergency lasts. No new Players will be taken in. If the current Players decline, they’ll be erased. If they agree and survive, they’re given another shot at life. It doesn’t matter how many points they have, they saved the world, so the least we can do is let’m live again.”

“So Yoji and Shigemori may be gone for more than seven days.”

Hanekoma shrugged. “Possibly. Or maybe just two. Depends on how fast we do this and how soon Sho tracks down the contaminator. But if they agree to help and survive, they will get to live again.”

Shinta was staring at the black crag. “So all I gotta do is just not die in an accident and talk to Sho?”

“Pretty much.” Hanekoma slid a mug of something to the Reaper. “Sho here, though, is gonna have to start talkin’ to me more about what he knows. Won’t you, Sho?”

Sho grunted. He looked at Shinta. “Gimme your phone number. That way if we start to go out of sync, we can set up a date or whatever.”

Shinta gave him his number. “So that’s it, then?”

Hanekoma nodded. “Might help to “stock up” on social points though. But you don’t have to.”

“All right.” Shinta stood up. “Thank you. I guess I’ll go...balance my checkbook? I don’t know.” He looked to Kyo. “C’m--”

But Kyo was storming for the door.

“Hey, wait--”

“Let him be, boss,” Hanekoma said. 

Shinta weakly sat back down as the door slammed shut.

“He’s got a lot going on now too.” Hanekoma sighed, readying a cup of coffee for Shinta.

~+~+~+~

“God damn it!” Yoji yelled. “We have three hours left and haven’t gotten any leads!” He stared at his hand, the numbers ticking by without a care. “We haven’t found any rat-like noises, so what else are we supposed to be doing?” On the bright side, all this killing of Noise was giving them plenty of opportunities to master their pins.

Shigemori was looking at his phone again.

Yoji was disturbed by the sudden impulse to smack it out of his hand. He forced himself to take a deep breath. Getting violent wasn’t going to solve anything--especially with Shigemori. He was probably just as scared and confused.

Shigemori looked up. It looked like he wanted to sign or text something when he looked past Yoji.

“Huh?” Yoji turned to see what his brother was staring at.

Kyo was standing at the crosswalk, waiting for the lights to change. 

“Holy--Shigemori, do you see that?”

The little brother nodded.

Yellow Noise were swarming around Kyo. They were vibrant and he felt sick just looking at them.

“He looks more miserable than usual,” Yoji commented. He looked at the Player Pin on his shirt and then to Shigemori.

Shigemori held up his hands and shook his head.

“I wasn’t gonna ask you,” Yoji said with more force than he meant. He stopped. “...Don’t worry, I’ll do it.” He said with a more gentle tone.

He turned back to Kyo before he could see Shigemori’s response. The man was still standing there. Without another moment’s hesitation, he slapped the pin.

The thoughts were easier this time. Simple phrases floated over people’s heads, and it seemed like they were walking in place. 

But Kyo’s thoughts were different. It was a nasty jumble of red. Yoji started to have second thoughts, but it was unusual. And this man was his brother’s best friend. The least he could do was see what was upsetting him. Maybe even erase the Noise, if that was possible.

It was a slimy, sickly thing, feeling that thought.

_“What the hell is he thinking? Doesn’t he see the hypocrisy?”_

Yoji pulled back.

“He’s upset with Shinta,” he said to Shigemori.

Shigemori cocked his head to the side.

“Something happened with them. I...think we should try to erase the Noise. I don’t know why, but it sounds like a good idea.” He felt heavy and uneven. Every word he said was like a wave in his head crashing from one side to the other. Two pieces of him were going back and forth, making him ill at ease and feel like he had no center of gravity.

Shigemori was tapping something on his phone. He held it up a moment later. _“We might as well. Maybe it’ll reveal something for the mission.”_

Yoji nodded. “Let’s go.”

They seemed like normal noise. The wolves burned and whined as they were erased, the bears washed away into oblivion like the rest. And they went away fast--Yoji was liking these new pins.

“Damn,” he muttered, back in the Scramble Crossing. “Why won’t they just lay off him?”

“Because he’s too deep in his anger,” came an accented voice.

Yoji whirled around, taking a protective step in front of Shigemori.

A woman with vibrant, red hair stood there. Next to her was a handsome, tanned man.

“Are you--”

“Players?” She said, grinning. “Aye.” She nodded to the man. “This lump here is my partner.”

“Yo,” he said, returning his attention to his phone.

“And fighting them won’t do anything for the mission.”

Yoji readjusted his glasses. “Oh? And what can you tell me about this, then?” He put a hand on his hip. “And you two speak pretty good Japanese.”

She bowed. “Thank ya!”

Her partner grunted.

“Don’ mind him. He’s a shy one. Anyway, yes. He’s just an unfortunate bloke going through life. Our mission’s about the trends, not helping him.”

“What?”

“Show him, Lucien.”

Her partner, Lucien held out his phone. “See the map of Shibuya here?” His accent was very different from hers. “Each section’s got a different color and set of letters?”

Both Iwata brothers nodded.

“We’ve noticed they relate to the brands. The pins seem to be sold at certain stores and match with the brands.” He tugged at his denim vest. “Most of our pins are Mus Rattus right now. Monica here thinks we gotta fight with as much of the pins here.” He pressed a button. “Mus Rattus is the rat--and it’s at the bottom here.”

Yoji examined the screen before responding. “...That would explain the note, then. Making the rat king ‘n all.”

The two nodded.

“Shall we get started then?” Monica asked, grinning. “The more players who work together, the more likely we are to succeed.”

He was hesitant. Games were competitions. There was a chance she was doing this to see how well they fared for future reference.

But what other choice did they have?

“All right. You ready, bro?”

Shigemori nodded.


End file.
